What happened to this limb?

[dblack]

Here is a picture of a pecan branch I took off someones property for them. Storm knocked a big branch off the tree and when I was sawing it into logs and brush I saw this design in the heartwood of the limb. What is that circular design caused by? Thanks

 

[Knobby57]

That's a simple case of FS (****ing strange ) I would love too know what caused that . I find a lot of wood around me with blue/purple stains through the wood from bullets . Amazing how often I run across that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Raintree]

Looks like the compartmentalized fungal stain of an old wound. Could have been a number of things that caused the wounding around the circumference of the younger limb. Borers, sap suckers, mechanical damage etc.

 

[dblack]

This branch was about 25 feet up so I my first thought was there wasn't any way it could have been human damage to that individual spot but I am honestly not sure.

 

[Zale]

Sapsucker damage IMO.

 

[Raintree]

This branch was about 25 feet up so I my first thought was there wasn't any way it could have been human damage to that individual spot but I am honestly not sure.

Could the limb have been use for a swing?

 

[dblack]

@Raintree that is possible but there is actually a swing on a much bigger branch, on the opposite side of the crown. The piece in the picture is about 10 inches in diameter at the widest.

 

[ATH]

Bird peck is the "proper" name. caused, likely, by sap suckers as others have mentioned

 

[MrWho3006]

I just cut down a big pecan tree that was leaning over my house and it has the same thing. I just started splitting the wood this afternoon and it has bigger pockets in some areas like voids and it's black and kinda apple sauce consistency. Also it's stained purple around some of the black areas.

 

[dblack]

If you find out anymore about it let me know! @MrWho3006

 

[MrWho3006]

Here's a few pics of mine. The one with the bigger dark area was really wet, kinda like sawdust mixed with bar oil consistency. Then some were kinda dry and cobweb like...

 

[MrWho3006]

Sapsucker damage IMO.

What are sap suckers?

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

Sapsucker damage IMO.

Me too.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

What are sap suckers?

They are birds, the yellow bellied sapsucker. people think they are woodpeckers but woodpeckers peck in and eat bugs whereas sapsuckers peck in for sap. A sapsucker will stay at one height on the tree trunk and peck neatly and uniformly around it, a woodpecker just pecks wherever the bug is and rip the crap out of things. They love woodbees and damage houses. Both birds are shy, the sapsucker being more shy than the woodpecker.

A woodbee won't bore into painted wood.

 

[MrWho3006]

So how does the damage on the inside of a branch relate to the sapsucker? Is it like an infection? Or was it a case of damage from years ago that got grown over?

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

So how does the damage on the inside of a branch relate to the sapsucker? Is it like an infection? Or was it a case of damage from years ago that got grown over?

Yes, from years ago that got grown over. Sapsuckers are ones for young tender trees, they are a small bird whereas a woodpecker is an aggressive bigger bird and will hammer through pretty much anything.

Its rare to see a sapsucker but if you wait in the mornings you can see them. Woodpeckers are insane but will also avoid being seen for to long. The sound each makes pecking is different. You don't usually hear a sapsucker, the woodpecker is what you normally hear.